A LONG Day
by midknightXXX
Summary: Domino High is hosting a carnival for fund raising, but things aren't always as they seem. Yugi has to ender hell and beyond throughout the day while his friends are unaware of his traumas. When trouble ensues, Yugi alone has to save them all. Or does he?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hikari: Hello there to anyone who is reading this (most likely none of you because on one reads the author's messages... Why?)! This is my first story ever, so please read and review!

No flaming would be nice. Very nice in fact! Remember everyone; **Constructive Criticism = GOOD while Flaming = BAD**. I worked really hard on this, so I hope you like it!

Onward to the story!

By the way, don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Yamie: If she did, Ryou Bakura would be a main character along with Yugi! They can share the spotlight!

* * *

><p>Key:<p>

"Hi!" = Out loud talking

/Hi!/ = Mind link talking

_ = Time skip/Page break

* * *

><p>"No!"<p>

"Yes!"

"You can't make me! I'll get revenge for this! Just you wait…"

It was an unusually warm Sunday in May. The birds were singing, the flowers blooming, and two teenagers were arguing extensively, ignoring the beauty around them completely.

"Oh come on! You look adorable!"

"But Anzu…"

"You look good," the one called Anzu deadpanned. She was a tall and skinny girl with a face that meant business. Her mud-brown hair was cut in a bob style and its intensity matched her sparkling blue eyes.

"But everyone will laugh at me!" The person next to Anzu was named Yugi. He was a very short teen–barely past five feet– and walking next to Anzu only made him look smaller. He was usually mistaken for an elementary school student even though he was actually sixteen years old. He had amethyst colored eyes that bizarrely matched well with his insane hair. The boy's hair was at least half a foot tall with spiky blond bangs hanging around his face and eyes, and black spikes with red tips that defied gravity itself. The amount of hair gel needed to hold his hair that high was astonishing…

"Cut it out! Just be confident!" Anzu said in a cheery tone. She took another look at Yugi's outfit. He was in a bright yellow and orange shirt with neon green buttons in the front. His bell-bottom pants were clearly too long for him and were sky blue. His face had been painted white except for around his eyes which were wine-colored. A bright red tomato covered his nose in an attempt to look funny, and the gigantic apple-colored shoes didn't seem to help Yugi's self-esteem.

"Alright… But only for the carnival!" Yugi was talking about the annual Domino High County Carnival held every year. Each grade would volunteer to help out somewhere while other kids and their parents came to spend money that went to school funding. It was a huge deal: each grade spent weeks upon weeks deciding what to do, who would help, where their stands would be placed to attract the most people, etcetera.

Yugi, being the kind-hearted child he was, had decided to give most of his grade level a break in order for them to enjoy the fair. There were various spots each grade was required to fill, and once a schedule was made accordingly, everyone else was free to do as they pleased as long as they were in time for their shift. The problem was that the only spot one person could manage alone was the clown's position. Seeing as his hair practically qualified him to be the joker and no one had remembered to buy a silly wig, Yugi easily fit the position. Anzu pitied him, but was also excited to meet up with their friends to check out the rest of the carnival, so the thought of taking over for Yugi never even crossed her mind.

"When does your shift end?" She inquired.

"It ends at one thirty. I need to get there soon or else I'll miss the start of my shift!" With that, Yugi attempted to take off sprinting only to fall face-first into a pile of wet mud. He had tripped over his pants for the twelfth time that day.

Stifling a laugh, Anzu helped him up, brushed him off, and told him the dirt would get more kids to laugh. After a prolonged groan, Yugi proceeded to speed walk towards the school entrance. It was eleven forty five which meant that the fair would start in fifteen minutes, and Yugi was not the type of person to be late.

Kids were everywhere you looked as they entered the Domino High lobby area. Some were hanging posters, setting up games in the classrooms, or printing out flyers for future school events to give to people now. The lobby had chaos written all over it as students yelled at one another for the tape, the stapler, and so on.

The two teens hurried out of the crowded lobby and into the previously decided room where Yugi would 'perform'. His act consisted of making various balloon animals, telling corny jokes, and allowing toddlers to throw pies in his face. Basically, it was a job no one in their right mind would want to have. Yugi was too nice a person to make anyone else do it though.

Room one hundred fifteen was a very small cramped area with tables and chairs pushed out of the way to make room for Yugi's show. He and Anzu had just begun to erase the whiteboard in order to write Yugi the Clown when Yugi heard a low, whiny voice in the back of his mind.

/Hikari! What are we doing here? Why is it so loud? Why is that annoying friendship obsessed girl with you? And why do you look so ridiculous? I WANT SOME ANSWERS!/

Yugi sighed mentally. The whiner who was addressing was Yami, his other half. Yami always called him hikari (meaning light) and had named himself Yami (meaning shadow). He was really a spirit that had inhabited Yugi's body after he solved the Millennium Puzzle a few months ago, but liked to be referred to as another part of Yugi in order to feel closer to him.

Yami's appearance was almost identical to Yugi's with only a few small changes. First off, he was at least a foot taller than Yugi which he constantly teased him about. His eyes were narrower, crimson, and he had blond bangs that, instead of laying flat on his face like his hikari, defied gravity by shooting up straight in the air alongside his spiked black and red hair. Finally, his voice was deeper and sounded like he had already gone through puberty unlike Yugi's shrill voice.

"Yugi! Come on, you said you would help me! I'm not doing all the work here you know," Anzu, unbeknownst to Yugi's predicament, had begun to get impatient with his spaced-out eyes. She couldn't hear Yami speaking because they were talking through a special mind link that only they shared.

"Huh…? Oh, I'm so sorry Anzu! I was just talking to Yami and he–"

"He's here? Oh my goodness, how do I look? Where is he? Does he want to come out and go to the carnival with me? Will he marry me at last? He knows I love him, right?" Anzu uncontrollably bubbled.

/How can she possibly not realize how much I despise her? Do I have to walk up to her and spit in her eye? No, she'd probably think it was a present and run around bragging about it like the time when I poisoned your breakfast so you'd puke in her salad… Wait… Did she even know it was me?/

/That was you who poisoned me? Never mind Yami, just watch your attitude. You know she's my friend./

"He's gone. Sorry Anzu," Yugi lied pathetically to save his other half.

Anzu looked crestfallen. "Oh… Well… Oh! It's noon! It's time for your shift to begin, right?"

"Yeah, but you can stay if you want to." Yugi hoped desperately that she'd stay and help him with the toddlers. He had a sinking feeling that something bad was going to happen as soon as she left. It would involving hair pulling, screaming, and pie. He imagined lots and lots of pie down his shirt, up his nose, in his eyes...

"Yugi! Anzu! Oh wow… Yugi!" Two boys had barged into the room and proceeded to point and laugh at Yugi's crazy get up. The one on the right looked like a stereotypical dumb blonde, and acted the same way. The one on the left had dark brown eyes, and dark brown hair that looked like it was cosplaying a unicorn's horn. The amount of hair gel that kid must use seemed like… At least half of what Yugi currently used!

"Shut up Joey," Yugi addressed the blond.

Anzu joined in too. "You should be ashamed too Tristan! Making poor Yugi feel worse that he already did! If you were true friends, you'd always stay by his side through thick and thin!"

As Anzu began a seemingly endless friendship speech, Joey and Tristan shot apologetic smiles towards the tri-colored boy.

After ten straight minutes of ranting, Joey bravely interrupted her. "Anzu… I hate to interrupt, but the fair has begun and that clown over there has some pies needing to be thrown and jokes to tell. Let's head over to another station, and we can come back when his shift ends."

"Okay! Let's go to the cake walk! Maybe they'll have a wedding cake I can win for Yami and me!"

/Oh god… Can I please mind crush her? It won't hurt! Well, it won't hurt me…/

/Forget it. She's leaving now anyway./

Yugi looked over at his friends dragging Anzu away from him. As soon as they left, Yami materialized next to him in a transparent form only Yugi could see and hear.

/If she says one more word about marriage, she will receive a mind crush no matter what you say./ Yami was fuming at this point, his fists clenched until veins popped out of them.

"Calm down already! At least she notices you…" Yugi was about to pour out his feelings about his secret love for Anzu to Yami when he was cut off by a shrill-voiced scream.

"MOMMY, I WANT TO SEE THE CLOWNY NOW!"

And so the torturous hour and a half began.

* * *

><p>"So… Many… Pies…" It was one fifteen, and business was slow at Yugi's station. He was currently twitching and muttering to himself about 'demonic' pies trying to rule the world. Yami on the other hand had it easy since no one but Yugi knew he was there. He had allowed himself to watch what seemed like thousands of kids pelt his poor hikari with pies. Not one kid had asked for a balloon animal or listened to the jokes Yugi has rehearsed all last night.<p>

/Then again, if I took over Yugi's body and went to a carnival that had a clown, I'd throw pies at him too…/ He muttered, entranced in his thoughts.

Yugi, finally regaining his sanity, snorted at this remark. "I should have had you take over for me!" By this, he meant for Yami to seize control of their shared body as he did so often with children's card games.

/Not on your life./

"You're so useless sometimes!"

"Me?" Anzu had walked into the room and now looked flabbergasted.

"No!" Obviously. "It was…"

/Don't you dare say I'm here! Or else I won't help you cheat at the carnival games!/

"…No one."

Anzu was crestfallen for the second time that day.

"Where are Joey and Tristan?" Yugi decided to try to distract Anzu from the dark cloud growing over her head.

She proceeded to groan before replying. "Joey forgot his money, so he tried to steal tickets. He was caught stealing them from the ticket booth, so now he's in the detention center. Tristan followed him trying to prove he wasn't taking anything even though the teacher running the booth happened to get a video of it. I'm so bored! Thank goodness your shift is over! Let's head over to Ryou's station! I heard he's running the knock over the milk bottles station."

She then began dragging Yugi out of the room while he yelled at her. "At least let me change first!"

After he changed into his crisp leather navy blue school uniform–which he wore everywhere he went for reasons unknown– and cleaned off his clown make-up and pie-covered face, the two teens were off to find their friend Ryou's station in the massive halls of the school.

Ryou Bakura was a new transfer student who just came to Domino High a few months ago. He was more similar to Yugi that the majority of the students knew. In fact, only Anzu, Joey, Tristan, and a few selected others knew about Yugi and Ryou's shared secret. Ryou possessed the Millennium Ring which also held a spirit within it that had inhabited his body. Unlike Yami though, Ryou's spirit–self-named Bakura– was purely evil. While Ryou had soft crystal-white hair, mocha eyes, and a stunningly adorable and innocent smile, Bakura had dark blood-colored eyes, spiky ghost-white hair, and a trademark smirk on his face. The only thing that they shared was their ghostly pale skin. In short, Ryou was a great friend while Bakura was someone you wanted to avoid at all costs. They truly were opposites.

After a few minutes of walking, they heard a deep voice yelling at what seemed like a mere child.

"Look brat, you knocked down zero bottles, so you get ZERO PRIZES! No go dig yourself a hole and die in it! Unless of course you want me to take this handy knife and stab it through your heart instead. I'll always comply with seeing more blood in this world. Are you still here? SCRAM!"

Yugi walked up to the brightly-painted station cautiously with Anzu doing her best to hide behind the short boy. They were both saddened to see that it was Bakura who had taken possession of the shared body. They were hoping to hang out with Ryou instead.

Bakura turned around and took notice to the teens. "Oh this is just great! The friendship hag and the stupid pharaoh have decided to play a round. Go on pharaoh-boy, show me what you got."

"Why are you running a carnival game Bakura? That seems a little out of character…" Yugi asked uneasily.

Bakura seemed unaffected by this as he replied, "Are you kidding? I get to rig the game, make small children cry, and pick-pocket from stupid parents trying to calm their young ones. Best of all, I can blame all of it on Ryou! It's perfect!" This was his usual ploy. He caused havoc, and Ryou would be blamed for it.

Yugi tried to ignore this as he fished out a dollar from his pocket and shoved it into Bakura's greedy palm. He knew that getting involved at this point would only cause an unwanted scene. He would deal with this matter later…

"One dollar means three balls. Good luck and all that crap I'm supposed to say."

Yugi, already knowing the object of the game was to knock over all the bottles, threw the first two rock-hard balls as hard as he could at the edges of the bottle pyramid. However, none of the bottles so much as twitched. He threw his third ball, which hit square-on, but there was no movement whatsoever.

"Sorry. No bottles equals no prizes. Now get out of here so I can continue to torment little kids."

Anzu nudged Yugi with her hip. "He rigged the game, remember? He probably glued the bottles to the table."

Bakura gave her a sly grin. "You read me like a book. Now scram! I have other customers! Don't you have to get back to the Dumb Blond and Unicorn Horn?"

Anzu, starting to feel nervous around Bakura, told him what had happened to them.

"You have got to be kidding me! This is hilarious!" He had doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down his face. "Look, if you're going to steal something, do it right! Mortals are so pathetic… It makes me sick! Leave before I regurgitate on your little slut outfit!"

The two teens sprinted away from the booth and out of the room that they had wandered into about as casually as a bull in a china shop. Yugi was thinking about doing something about the fact that Bakura openly admitted he rigged the game, but ended up stopping himself. At least Bakura was getting the much-needed cash for their school. He decided to overlook the problem and instead focused on where he and Anzu would go next.

"Yugi, wait for me!"

Both Yugi and Anzu turned sharply to find Ryou standing before them. No one could mistake his aura of innocence with Bakura's aura of hatred.

"Can I come play some games with you two?" He asked shyly. It was unclear if Ryou realized that Bakura had just taken over his body and insulted them a minute ago. That was the problem with Ryou. Unlike Yugi, he had no communication with his other half, which made tons of difficult and awkward situations.

Anzu spoke before Yugi could even process the fact that this was in fact Ryou speaking to them. "Of course you can! You didn't even have to ask! We can all go to the cake walk and try to win my wedding cake for Yami!"

Yami seemed to jump back into the conversation after this remark. /I know! I'll drown her in pig's blood! Bakura will help me… I hope... Torturing people is his forte after all…/

Yugi sighed before muttering a response quietly enough so his friends didn't hear him. "I thought you hated Bakura. He's tried to steal the Millennium Puzzle more times that you can count. Is revenge on Anzu that important to you?"

/You better believe it./

Yugi checked his wristwatch. It was one thirty five. This was going to be a long day…

* * *

><p>Hikari: Poor Yugi! Will he survive the dreaded cake walk?<p>

Yamie: Unlikely ;) And what else awaits him?

Hikari: I'll give you a hint... Nothing good!

Hikari: I already started chapter 2, and I can say that there are a few YGOTAS references. :D

If you've stuck with me this long, you get a free cyber pie! (And no, I will not get toddlers to throw it in your face.) If you review, I'll get the toddlers to bake you a cyber pie of your flavor choice!

~midknightXXX


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Hikari: Hello everyone again! I'm not sure what else to say...

Enjoy, read on, and review! Reviewers make me smile. :D Flamers do not. :(

Don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! Maybe I'll ask for it as a birthday present...

Yamie: *Scheming*

* * *

><p>"Anzu…"<p>

"What is it Ryou? Can't you see I'm busy looking for the cake walk station?" An impatient-to-the-brink-of-being-psychotic Anzu answered him harshly. Her face was contorted with rage as she spun around to face the cowering boy.

"I think we're going the wrong way…" Ryou was nervous enough as it was to be with Anzu–he was always awkward around people, girls especially–and she wasn't helping him feel any calmer. He turned to Yugi for help on the situation, but found that he had a distant look in his eye along with an exasperated frown on his face. Just when he needed him, he was caught arguing with Yami… Who was going to tell Anzu they'd past the cake walk ten minutes ago?

/Look, you said no knives, blood, spit, puke, spears, hatchets, swords, guns, shovel launchers, flame throwers, any type of mobile vehicle, black licorice, or stuffed animal heads. What else can do you expect I use to torture Anzu with? Do you want me to smother her in the world's most 'evil' bear hug?/

"Will you give it a rest already? Why can't you just tell her that you're not interested in her type or something?" Yugi had had this argument, along with countless others that were strikingly similar, for the last ten minutes or so. It was driving him crazy and making it hard to mumble his responses softly enough so people around him didn't think he was talking to himself like a crazy person.

/YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TRIED? When I did that, she came into your house the next day with a… A…/

"It was just a plush doll."

/IT WAS OF ME! Then she tore its head off! Do you realize how scarring it is to watch your head, arm, and stuffing being violently ripped from your tiny body? I was so scared that I had to tell her it was a joke to keep her from lunging at me!/

"You're not really asking me that, are you? I've been a fist magnet for the majority of my life! You think I don't know what pain is? Oh, I'll give you pain right now…" Yugi had temporarily lost his sanity, and was making a fist at Yami's translucent form. However, anyone else would just see a teenager threatening the air. Luckily for Yugi, Ryou had grown enough of a spine to tell Anzu that her "perfect navigation skills" were very off. They had turned around a few minutes ago, and miraculously made it to a large, plum-colored room in time to play the next round. Entering the classroom helped Yugi regain what little calming thoughts he had, ant the three friends walked over to the prize table so Anzu could scope out which cake she would win.

After the turmoil of reaching the over-crowded area, Anzu found herself feeling crestfallen for the third time that day.

"…There's no wedding cake…" She then proceeded to cry her eyes out in a very animated fashion. She continued like this for all of five seconds before the kid running the game announced for everyone to take their places and pay their tickets for the next round. Anzu perked up immediately and ripped off four rectangles of her bright orange ticket stash to hand to the collector.

"Joey?" She gasped in shock. "What are you doing here?"

Surprisingly enough, it was indeed Joey who stood before them wearing the required outfit that came with the demeaning job of being one of the many collectors at the fair. There was a diverse team of collectors varying from cheerleaders to jocks to bullies. They were forced to wear a dunce cap along with elf ears and neon yellow clown-like pants during their shifts, which they only received as punishment for doing something terrible. The worse it was, the longer your shift was. Rumor had it that the teachers only made them wear the ridiculous costume to laugh at them although they all insisted that it attracted the young ones.

"What do you think? I'm serving detention. Lousy bitchy teacher…" After spending the next few seconds to stream a line of curses, he addressed the gang in whole.

"Have you guys seen Tristan? He said he'd bust me out, but I haven't seen him since."

"We don't have time for him now! He's an annoying person anyway, so no one will miss him too much. Help me win a brownie to propose to Yami with!"

/She's brilliant! I'll use Tristan to bug her to death! It'll be perfect: I won't have to pay him because his very existence is enough to drive her mad, and you can't argue because he wasn't on the list of what I can't use! Mwahahaha!/ He began to laugh in a very zany way that was completely out of his character.

Yugi could feel a headache forming from all the noice and wished he could disappear into a corner of silence. Knowing that if he left, Anzu would never forgive him, he chose to distract the one of the larger sources of noise pollution.

"If you don't pay up soon, someone will take your wedding proposal. I think the kid in the red overalls is eyeing them rather suspiciously…"

"I'LL KILL YOU!" After Anzu's short demonic moment consisting of the three guys holding her down whilst she yelled curses at the poor child, she regained her composure and took her place on a picture of Red Rabbit. The point of the game was to walk around in a circle as you heard music playing. When it stopped, you froze on whichever of the multiple animal cards you last stepped on. The one running the game would then pick a card out of a hat, and if you're on the matching one, you can pick out a treat. Anzu was disappointed that there were no actual cakes, but figured that brownies were the next best thing. The junior who was running the area turned on the sapphire-blue Ipod and music poured out of the obnoxiously loud speakers. Yugi, Ryou, and Joey were sitting in the back of the room hoping that she'd play one round, win, and then let them leave without creating her usual scene whenever she lost a game.

After a few minutes of loud, ear-bleeding screams erupting from the speakers, the music–if you could even call it that–screeched to a halt, Anzu found herself standing on the grinning Purple Peacock card.

"Come on! Peacocks are lucky, right?" She muttered.

The junior rummaged through a huge, zebra-striped hat as Yami crossed his fingers.

/Please don't let her win! I have the best plan ever! Just give me enough time to put it into play… It won't even harm her! Well… Just don't let her win!/

"Purple Peacock, please step forward," said the obviously bored teenager. It seemed like he had ran the game one too many times to find pleasure in it anymore.

"EEEEEEEEEPPPP! That's me! Oh wow… I've got to tweet this! Yami, I love you! Marry me now! Let's have the wedding on a beach! Oh… Is the world spinning?" With that last remark, Anzu proceeded to faint on the spot, smacking her pretty little head on a granite countertop behind her.

* * *

><p>Several hours, two ambulances, and one angry phone call from Anzu's parents threatening to sue for "almost killing their daughter" later, the remaining members of the gang were hanging out on top of a grassy hill, allowing a steady breeze to flow towards them. The wind was a welcomed change from the massive amount of body heat that was being produced in the high school, making the group sweat uncontrollably. Yugi had quickly spotted a large shady oak tree and climbed it like a squirrel until he found a stable branch to hang upside-down on. Ryou was simply seated at the foot of the tree, and Joey was sitting beside him. Ryou had put on his I'm-the-best-student-you'll-ever-have-in-your-whole-career-so-let-my-friend-hang-out-with-us-before-I-transfer-to-another-school-and-make-you-look-bad face for the teachers in order to get Joey lifted from his punishment. He was just amazing like that.<p>

/I don't believe it… It's that easy to make her pass out? Why didn't I think of that? Oh, the time and effort that I've wasted… Yugi, are you okay? You look a little pale… Yugi? YUGI? YUGI?/

Yugi was trying to block out everything that had just happened. It was all a blur… He vaguely remembered a crash followed by a loud thud and then a screeching siren that pierced his eardrums. He could feel a migraine building up…

"I'm hungry! I demand edible substance NOW. Someone has to go inside and fetch me a pizza before I faint too!" Joey was always hungry. You could give him three pizzas, and he'd still complain. Giving him food served no purpose, while not giving him any made him whine. It was a no-win situation for his friends.

Ryou, not wanting to leave the cool shade of the tree, got an idea. "How about we play a children's card game to decide who has to get the food for all of us? The loser has to buy and pay for all of it!"

/COUNT ME IN! I could use the fresh air!/

"Sure, why not," said an overly confident Yugi. Yami was impossible to beat at… Well, anything. This guaranteed that he wouldn't have to move from his spot.

"Nyeh, whatever. You two can duel, but keep it down. I want to take nap…" Joey was already drifting off to sleep.

Ryou glared at Joey. "Wait a minute… Why are we the only ones dueling? Joey, you can–"

"Zzzzzzz…" He was already fast asleep and snoring up a storm.

Ryou pouted (making thousands of fangirls scream their heads off and get nosebleeds). "Fine then… Are you ready Yugi?"

A blinding light illuminated from the Millennium Puzzle, filling the area around the tree with a dazzling white blanket. During this, Yugi and Yami were switching places so that Yami could do all the work, and Yugi could receive all the credit for it. The light died down after a few seconds, and Yami stood before a very confused Ryou.

"Let's duel!"

At that moment, another blinding flash occurred. When said light evaporated, Bakura stood before Yami.

"What the hell are you doing here Bakura? This isn't really your scene…"

"You're kidding, right? I get to take over Ryou's body, find some way to injure him through a children's card game, beat your ass into oblivion, then leave and blame everything on my host. You say this isn't my scene?" Bakura ranted.

"Point taken... Now allow me to beat the crap out of you with Yugi's–I mean my–super special awesome deck."

"Bloody hell, you just stole Yugi's catchphrase… You're more evil than I am! Just you wait… I can already imagine the Yugi fangirls sharpening their blades, preparing to strike at your throat…"

"Shut up and duel me."

Bakura gaped at a now very confused Yami. "Are you doing that on purpose? You just copied one of Kaiba's lines!"

"Who?"

"Exactly. Now cut your deck and prepare to lose!"

"Nyeh, whatever. Let's go!" Yami proclaimed dramatically, his clenched fist shoved high into the air.

"Oh Ra…" Bakura let out a prolonged sigh. Yami just didn't get it…

* * *

><p>Joey was happier than he had ever been in his entire life. Surrounding him were hundreds–no, thousands–of pizzas, more than they had in Italy. They were all different types; sausage, pepperoni, pineapple, chicken, cheese, spinach, onion, you name it. Some were cut into squares while some were sliced in triangles. A couple of them weren't sliced at all, implying that you were supposed to eat them whole. Each one had a different hat in a neon color with stars on top. They sang, skipped, danced, and waved at Joey as he frolicked alongside them.<p>

"When did life get so good?" He wondered for only a second before joining in on the song that the pizzas were singing. Suddenly, a deep, male voice pierced Joey's eardrums.

"I SUMMON THE DARK MAGICIAN IN ATTACK MODE!"

"Nyeh?" Joey shook his head violently. That almost sounded like Yami. The pizza's song seemed to get softer and softer as Yami's voice took over.

"THEN I ACTIVATE SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT!"

Joey jerked his head up to see Yami, Bakura, and a whole lot of trading cards. Yami's loud voice had stabbed his dream world and shattered it into a million incoherent pieces. Joey's face turned beet-red with fury.

"I TOLD YOU TO KEEP IT DOWN! YAMI, YOU WOKE ME UP! I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD! NYEH!" He yelled in an insane tone. He looked positively demonic as he tore up the innocent grass beside him.

Bakura's head shot over to the blond moron as he threw a temper tantrum like a five-year-old. He snorted in disgust at the sight of it.

"This is too pathetic to go through with. Besides, why am I even helping my host? This isn't worth torturing him… I'm out." Bakura then proceeded to give himself a huge paper cut with a change of heart card just to cause his hikari pain when he would be shoved back into his body. One flash of blinding light later, Yami was standing over an immensely pained Ryou and a bawling Joey.

"If he can leave, I can too! Yugi won't mind cleaning up this little mess for me," hummed Yami as yet another bright light illuminated from the puzzle before Yugi was sitting in the grass.

"What the hell is going on here…" He began in a perplexed tone.

Joey turned up over to face his friend.

"C-Can you g-get me a pizza? Please? H-h-he was being m-mean to me! I WANT FOOD!" He then blew out a huge snot bubble before going back to his excessive crying, slamming his fists into the ground repeatedly.

Ryou turned to Yugi. His face was impossible to read; confusion, shock, pain, and so on. He opened his mouth to speak when Yugi shushed him with his palm.

"I'm going to get us a pizza. What toppings do you want?"

Joey perked up immediately. "I WANT PEPPERONI!"

"Um… But I'm a vegetarian… Can I just have a salad?" Ryou asked quietly as he attempted to wipe up the blood from his growing wound. His left arm was beginning to look swollen implying that the cut had become somewhat infected.

Yugi threw his hands up in annoyance. "Sure thing, Ryou! I'll just waste more of my hard-earned cash just so you can have exactly what you desire! In fact, why don't I just buy the salad stand? Then you can get your own specially prepared meal!" Yugi screamed in pure rage. He had had it with his day so far.

Ryou's large chocolate-brown eyes began to twitch and fill with water. He tried to blink away the tears now streaming down his face, but it was hard to do so…

Yugi, realizing that he had made his friend cry, instantly felt guilty.

"Look, I didn't mean that… I'm sorry," he said sincerely.

"It's o-o-okay Y-Yugi… I had that c-coming… I'll go buy my own food if you want," Ryou stuttered, finding it hard to talk as he gasped for air. Blood was now pouring out of his arm.

"No, that's fine… I'm heading off now… I'll just grab whatever they serve. Do you want a Band-Aid?" Ryou nodded feebly. "Great. I'll be right back." Yugi feigned a smile and rushed off to find the food court. He tried to ignore the fact that he was actually trying to get away from his friends instead of search for the "edible substance" as his blond-haired friend had called it.

/I think that went very well. You handled it so much better than I would have! For your effort, you shall receive a gold star! Well… Maybe if I could find one…/

"Not in the mood Yami. I'm just not in the mood." Yugi was so cross with Yami that he didn't want to see his presence, let alone hear his voice. Sure, he was being nice to everyone, but he hadn't heard so much as one thank you! He didn't usually care, but today's events seemed to highlight his friend's rudeness. Was it so hard to remember two measly words? He felt his left eye twitch slightly in aggravation. He hardly noticed his clenched fists turning white as he checked his wristwatch. It had a yellow smiley face on it… How ironic that he picked that watch to wear today of all days! The one watch that represented the opposite of his true feelings!

"Four forty five… When does this fair even end?" Yugi murmured as his face contorted in disgust.

* * *

><p>Hikari: Oh Yugi! I have ironic days like that ALL THE TIME. Seriously, this one time I-<p>

Yamie: NO ONE CARES!

Hikari: Well then... XP

R&R people! Reviews buy Ryou his own customized salad! ;)

~midknightXXX


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Hikari: Heya everyone! :D

I wrote a scene for this chapter, but took it out and replaced it because it wasn't very humorous... It was kind of... Sadistic?

Yamie: Hardly, but enough not to be considered 'funny'. Plus it didn't match up well with the story. It focused on Ryou and Joey.

Hikari: If you want me to put it in the next chapter at the end just so you can see it, let me know!

Forward march!

P.S. Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't mine. Why didn't Kazuki Takahashi make Ryou Bakura a main character? He has plenty of back-story possibilities!

* * *

><p><em>The room was dark; only lit by a dimming orange flicker in the distance. It was freezing. Scratch that, below freezing! The flame itself looked as if it knew its life was short. The granite countertop ahead was covered in a sticky crimson substance. A knife balanced on top of a box of gauzes near a dripping sink. There was a man in this room; tall with iridescent yellow eyes, mud-colored hair, and a pained grimace. His left arm was leaking more blood than the faucet was producing a steady stream of water.<em>

"_I knew this was a bad idea…" His gruff voice muttered, distracted._

"_WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! HANDS UP OR WE'LL SHOOT!" Police headlights flashed from the foggy window towards the right of the handsome man. He knew it would be all over soon…_

"Do not pick up. It's Tristan. Do not pick up. It's Tristan." A robotic voice cut through the silence with intensity similar to the sound of Anzu slicing off Yami fan girl heads. She had been reading over her latest 'bestseller novel' as she called it, making her friends groan every time, when the noise broke her focus. She glared at her buzzing phone.

"Damn that Tristan… Always disturbing my quiet time! I can't even find peace in a hospital!" She ranted as the prepared to launch her expensive-looking phone against the nearest wall. Her parents were both successful doctors, so they didn't care if she tore up her belongings, resulting in the main reason why she had become so spoiled in the first place. Her hospital room was one of the more upper class ones; larger beds, flat screen TVs, better food options, and best of all, hotter doctors. Anzu was ready to chuck the stupid electronic device at the crème-colored wall when something stopped her.

Tristan never called her. Sure, he texted her all the time–hence the reason for the ringtone–but he had never called her for reasons unknown. Was it an emergency? If so, why call her? She was already in a hospital for goodness sake!

"Fine… I'll answer… But if it's about nothing, I'll kill him! Damn my kind-heartedness… Maybe I can bring his head to my Yamikins as a present! He'll love it!" With that thought, she pressed the green talk button and held the receiver up to her ear.

A shuddering, male voice spoke. "Y-yugi! It's a miracle! I need you to find me! Joey locked me in a supply closet and chained me to a loose pipe for a practical joke! It happened right after the teachers announced Joey's punishment. We were walking towards the room when… Does it even matter now? Look, I can't get free; it's cold and dark, and I… Have to use the little camper's room… You have to help me!"

Anzu rubbed her fingers into her temples which were pulsating rapidly due to her mild concussion sustained from the cake walk. She wasn't in the mood for listening to whining, let alone other Tristan's whining. She never really liked Tristan that much… "You bastard… It's ANZU! Why are you calling me–or him–anyway? I'm sure neither of us gives a shit about your situation. I mean, I'm in a freaking hospital you moron! If you need to pee, do it in your pants! Hang up and call Yugi! He'll help you for sure. It's not like he has anything better to do… Leave me alone! My head hurts…"

"What? Anzu? Shit, must've called the wrong number… Wow, you're seriously PMS Anzu!" Tristan, realizing that insulting a girl was NOT the way to their heart, groaned and tried again. The silence on the other line was unnerving. "Wait… No, it doesn't matter now! I'm sorry; I'm just in a really bad mood! Disregard what I said, okay? My phone only has enough battery for another minute or so! Can you at least call him for me? I didn't mean to disturb you…"

Anzu groaned, her headache increasing. One could only handle so much of Tristan's voice. "Whatever. Just leave me alone with my writing. I'm making the next bestseller you know!"

It was Tristan's turn to groan. He snapped suddenly at her, too overwhelmed with the stress of his current situation. "Not this crap again… Anzu, you never finish any of your stories! You just go through 'phases'! You love your story one day, then tear it up and proclaim writing is stupid the next! You're the most wishy-washy person in the grade and everyone but you knows it! Plus your stories are always full of–"

"You can call Yugi yourself, you bastard." With that last remark, she hung on Tristan in sheer rage. She was twitching with anger as she took the closest thing to her–her notebook–and threw it as hard as she could. She dug her nails into her palm in a desperate attempt not to scream her head off so as not to wake the other patients residing in the rooms to her left and right. After waiting a minute to calm down and convince herself that he "didn't get the life of a writer", she began laughing menacingly. Knowing that he'd be locked in there for who knows how long seemed to bring joy into her writing time. And inspiration too! When he got out though… Let's just say that she was already planning ways to avoid him…

"Well, that's what he gets for insulting my creativity!" She proclaimed in a voice that was more confident than how she truly felt. She grabbed her writing notebook from the floor and tore out her previous story. After crumbling it up and shooting it into the garbage can, she began to write a story about an asshole trapped in a dark room for all of eternity and a young author's delight at his absence.

* * *

><p>Tristan was in pitch-black now thanks to his dead phone. How could he be so stupid as to call her instead of Yugi, the one person who had come running every time in order to help him out of sticky situations? He started crying with no signs of stopping hoping that the noise would bring someone towards the door to assist him. It was his rotten luck that Joey stuck him in an older closet, so no one would even notice his absence until school started up again. The carnival had been made surrounding the opposite half of the school.<p>

"W-w-why am I even f-friends with that selfish b-bitch?" He wailed. All that responded was silence.

* * *

><p>"H-hey Joey?" Ryou muttered in an almost silent voice.<p>

"Nyeh, what is it?" Joey looked over at Ryou whose face was contorted in pain as he let out a short gasp. The 'small paper cut' was now gushing blood as Ryou unsuccessfully tried to stop its flow. Joey could help him find the school nurse–or call an ambulance at this point–or he could wait for his pepperoni pizza to come. Hmm, Ryou's life or a pizza?

"I think I'm dying… C-can you hand me your phone since I d-don't have one? You k-know, to c-call 911 or s-something?"

"Nyeh, sorry Ryou, but I need my phone available in case Yugi calls about the food. Where is he anyway? It's been like… Five minutes or something! He's so useless! I should have gone!" Joey moaned and smacked his head repeatedly against the tree. Suddenly, Joey heard a loud thud coming from the spot adjacent him. Ryou had finally lost consciousness because of extreme blood loss. He looked paler than a ghost mixed with milk and a side of snow. At that moment, his unconscious body fell backwards down the large grassy hill that the two of them had been residing on. Today was obviously not Ryou's lucky day seeing as there was a rather large thorny rose patch growing right in the spot he was destined to land on. Anyone with a heart would have started freaking out at this point at the petrifying sight of the sickly child and the fact that said kid was rushing down to meet their painful demise.

"Nyeh damn it! Where the hell is Yugi with my food? Lazy son of a–"

Guess that explains a lot about Joey…

* * *

><p>Yugi? This doesn't look like a food stand… Oh wait! Is this what you call the fountain of drinking?/

"Drinking fountain Yami, and no that is not it…" Yugi and Yami were standing in the school's bathroom. Not that Yugi had to go. He just wanted to splash his face with water, a feeble attempt to raise his spirits. No one seemed like they cared about him these days…

/Then what is it?/ Yami peered inside the ovular object with sparked interest.

"A urinal… Wait, how do you not already know this? You've been residing in my body for–" Yugi started counting on his fingers mumbling incoherent numbers under his breath. "Long enough! Anyway, how can this be new for you?"

Yami peered at him suspiciously. /I try to give you your space when you take a crap, but if you don't want me too…/

"NO! Its fine, I'm fine, we're all fine! Just… No."

Yami's eyes shifted awkwardly, his hands clasped behind his back. /…Moving right along…/

"Ugh… Let's just go find some food. I'm sure Joey's hunger has spiked by now. Do you know who's running the pizza stand?" Yugi said, desperate for a topic change.

/How would I know? I only know whatever you know… Although there are a few special circumstances, of course./

Yugi put his hands on his hips. "What, like having thousands of years of knowledge from being an ancient Egyptian pharaoh?"

/Exactly! Nothing too major…/ At this remark, Yugi did a palm-face. After a few minutes, Yugi felt ready to exit the bathroom and dried his face on a wad of toilet paper. He shoved open the large wooden door and let it close with a satisfying slam as he began walking in the direction of the food court area. He passed mothers with whining children, fathers being forced to carry mountains of prizes, and older siblings groaning at the fact that they had to walk around with their younger brother or sister. Their misery made him feel a tingle better about the fact that none of his friends cared about him in the slightest.

/Are we there yet?/

"No." Yugi spoke in a hushed whisper since he was now in public again.

/How about now?/

"Nope."

/Now?/ Yami was more whining than asking at this point.

"I said no."

/Now?/

"Not yet!" His voice rose ever so slightly in volume. "I'll tell you when, so quit asking!"

/…Now?/

"NO WE ARE NOT FRIGGING THERE YET!" He shouted, temporarily forgetting that only he could hear Yami's side of the conversation. Realization soon struck as strange looks from parents and children alike glanced at him. He pulled at his collar nervously. Was it suddenly hotter in here?

"Heh heh… I'm rehearsing for the lead role in a play. It's called... Um… _Are We There Yet?_ Yeah. Sorry…" He muttered to anyone within earshot. This seemed to please the general crowd as everyone went back to whatever various crying, screaming, running, arguing, or grouching they were doing previously.

/…I think you have anger issues…/

"Shut it," Yugi dead-panned.

/Maybe you should go to Bakura's therapist. Of course, he did send her to the Shadow Realm, but maybe you can visit–/

"Yami, one more word and I'll let Anzu carve you up as a substitute for a piece of meat. Better yet, I'll make you go out on a date with her!"

/NO! YOU WOULDN'T DARE!/

Yugi smirked, victory written all over his smug face. "I thought so."

Two minutes later, they ended their trek at the food court. About time too, Joey had probably gnawed his arm off by now. The food area was massive, stretching from the north wing of the school all the way to the east wing. The sitting area looked as colossal as a football field, and was packed to the brim with obese children and their parents. There were multiple wooden stands set up circling the dining area. Each one used differently shaped banners with as many colors as possible to lure in naïve customers.

"It looks like a rainbow threw up in here…" Yugi said as he looked from banner to banner. The colors were making it hard to distinguish which stall was for what food.

/Yugi, what's that fluffy pink stuff? It smells good…/ Yami said in a dreamy trance. He was floating towards the first stall on the left.

"It's cotton candy–"

/YOU EAT COTTON? That's repulsive! I thought you said cotton was shirt material… DID YOU LIE TO ME HIKARI?/ He turned around quickly and made his way back to Yugi, a betrayed look colored his face.

"No Yami, it IS candy. We call it cotton candy because it's soft like cotton," Yugi stated exasperatedly. "And I'm not a liar!"

/Oh... Still gross./

Yugi pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "Look, forget about the candy! All we need to do is find a pizza stand, buy one, and leave, okay? Can you please help me locate one?"

/Nope./ With that, he disappeared into his soul room, a spot within Yugi's mind where he typically went for sleeping, ignoring people, and being lazy. That was his life motto; flee when your hikari needs you most.

"At least he's honest. Now where can I find–" Yugi paused midstride as a catchy jingle caught his ears.

"Come on in, we'll give you a treat! Something yummy and good to eat! Bring your kids and invite your friends! The fun in here just never ends! Eat it up and don't show malice… Everyone come on down to the Pizza Palace!" A squeaky, child-like voice sang.

"Finally…" Yugi began to skip over towards the sound when he clumsily dropped his smiley face wristwatch. As he picked it up, he glanced down casually to check the time, something he noticed he hadn't done in awhile. Was his day finally perking up?

"Five o'clock. I wonder if Joey has resorted to cannibalism by now…" He paused for a moment, and then his face grew pale. "Wait a minute… Oh crap, RYOU!" Yugi now ran at top speed towards the catchy tune. He had to hurry; Ryou's survival depended on it! How could he be so stupid as to leave innocent little Ryou with a hunger-crazed maniac like Joey? And what if Bakura seized control of Ryou's body and killed Joey? No, Bakura would probably laugh himself silly if he saw his hikari being eaten alive. But still, it was his body too! Yugi groaned and picked up speed when he heard a familiar voice coming from his right.

"Yugi Mutou?"

Yugi halted and turned at the sound of his name being called. He quickly gasped in shock at the person in front of him. Why was he, of all people, here? The one person Yugi had been avoiding. The one being that Yugi hoped was sick or wouldn't show up. Here he was, and that meant Yugi's–and everyone else's–life was over. Yugi, not knowing what else to do, groaned.

"This is totally the opposite of super special awesome…"

* * *

><p>Hikari: I feel bad for locking Tristan in a closet for his birthday... And yes, it is today! Happy Birthday Tristan! *A glare by Tristan* Okaaayyy then...<p>

Yamie: Haha, Tristan :P

Hikari: Shut it. Anyway, things get a lot darker. I warn you now, there won't be too much humor from here on out. **The story is turning away from humor and more towards suspence.** Just thought you should know!

Yamie: Reviewers can all pitch in to get Tristan a birthday gift, Ryou to a hospital before he dies, Joey a pizza, Yami some cotton candy, Anzu a Yami plushie, Bakura a knife for his own amusement (and me too!), and Yugi some new friends that respect him as a human being! Did I miss anyone? Nahhh... Except for mystery boy! Oh, I love suspence! ;)

Hikari: R&R!

~midknightXXX


	4. Chapter 4

Hikari: It has come to my attention that I keep repeating what chapter number it is... Um... Oops? Hey, I'm new at this, so don't judge!

Yamie: Judged...

Hikari: It's not like you bothered to tell me!

Yamie: ...

Hikari: Anyway, In case you ignored my last author's note, the story from here on out will be more suspence than humor. Of course, it'll still be there, but a lot less.

**If you read this story and like it, please let me know!** I'm always looking for criticism on how I can improve my writing. Just send me a PM or enter a review. I won't bite!

Yamie:I might though...

Hikari: Oh no you won't. Without further ado, I give you the thrilling continuation!

Yamie: Yu-Gi-Oh! doesn't belong to Hikari by the way. In case you were curious.

Hikari: By the way, sorry about the whole deleting and reuploading thing. My computer had a meltdown. XP But not it's all better!

* * *

><p>"Look, I can handle being Joey's personal pizza person. I can take my unrequited love with Anzu. I can accept the fact that I now need to spend all my allowance on a specially prepared salad for Ryou… I almost forgot, but that doesn't matter! I can just barely forgive and forget anything and everything Bakura has ever done to me from lighting my hair on fire at my last birthday party, to dropping that hornet's nest down my shirt last Tuesday. I can even get over the fact that I have a pathetic whining three year old constantly yapping in the back of my head."<p>

/HEY!/

"…However, I will NOT–I repeat, NOT–tolerate you coming into the picture! Not on my life! You can't make me! Scram! Shoo! Go away this instant before you ruin my and everyone else's lives even further!" Yugi threw his hands up in the air exasperatedly, stomping his foot with enough power to completely obliterate the poor anthill below his foot. Scratch that, the poor RED ant hill, ever-so-conveniently placed. Before Yugi could look down, a swarm of them began to gather around his foot, making the teen jump up and down frantically in a feeble attempt to get them off. What were ants doing inside the school building anyway? Oh yeah, he probably moved them there…

"That's it Yugi! Work it! Work it! Ra, you are so predictable!" The boy before Yugi was a very common face for him. It was also a face that Yugi wouldn't mind if he never saw again. He was the bearer of the Millennium Rod, a powerful and dark member of the millennium item family. He originated from Egypt, his tanned skin giving all proof needed of that fact. His platinum blond hair matched perfectly with his shining lavender eyes and naturally skinny figure. Obviously one into fashion, his outfit consisted of a sleeveless lavender hooded sweatshirt, black pants held up with a navy blue belt, and overwhelming amounts of gold jewelry to match his rod. Necklaces, bracelets, earrings, you name it, he had it! To complete his look, he wore heavy black eyeliner that looked surprisingly natural on his face. This boy's name was Marik Ishtar, and to Yugi, he meant nothing but trouble.

"Oh, grow up why don't you?" Yugi managed to say as he snatched a soda from an innocent bystander and splashed his feet. Luckily, it managed to drown the bugs swarming him, and he was free of their wrath.

"You're no fun… Like usual. Where's Bakura? He actually has a sense of humor!" Marik put his hands to his hips in a sassy way and pouted.

Yugi's face resembled that of a deer about to be run over by a sixteen-wheeled truck. No. NO! Everyone who went to Domino High knew that it was imperative to keep both Bakura and Marik apart, less their worst nightmares come to life before their eyes. Marik's childish pranks and impatience mixed with Bakura's badass personality equaled death for anyone within a mile radius. But even with that threat looming in the air, nothing–and he meant NOTHING–was worse than Marik's yami, a fact that only a few selected people knew about. There was no adequate word in the dictionary to describe the pure hell that he and Bakura could create. Yugi had only lived through that nightmare one time, but that was enough to scare him for the rest of his life…

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Marik prodded Yugi in the ribs with his rod, confusion written on his lovely features. Both of them had been unconsciously walking out of the food court area and into a deserted hallway.

"B-bakura? Oh, h-he's n-not here t-today. I m-mean, he w-went h-home to–" Before Yugi could even finish his sentence, Marik grabbed Yugi's wrists and shoved him into a room and up against the closest wall. The look in Marik's eyes almost equaled the terror of his yami's. His grip tightened, squeezing the life out of Yugi's appendage and making Yugi screech in pain.

"Do not lie to me. You know I don't like that…" Yugi's heart skipped a beat as what appeared to be a sudden flash of light came from a loop on Marik's pants. It faded so quickly that Yugi couldn't tell if he imagined it or not. Now Marik looked more demonic that ever before. His eyes glowed with fury, and he seemed a lot stronger than Yugi could ever remember. His steroid-like hair stuck up in a thousand different directions. Was he imagining this sudden change? He had no time to ponder this as Marik spoke to him in a slow, calm voice. It sent chills down his spine.

"If you don't tell me soon, I'll tear your arms clean off. Will that convince you to be honest with me?" Marik's hold on Yugi tightened further implying that he'd have no problem carrying the threat through. He was very straightforward with his approach. There were veins popping out of his tanned skin now, a look that numbed Yugi's own features at the thought of how excruciating that must feel.

"H-h-he's w-w-with Joey b-b-by the o-old oak t-tree. P-please… You're h-h-hurting me!" Yugi allowed his crystalline tears to slide down his pale face. He knew he would never be able to stop them anyway. Whether Marik thought he was pusillanimous or not was the last thing on his mind.

"Good boy." Marik loosened his grip and Yugi tumbled to the floor letting out a piercing gasp of pain in the process. There was smeared crimson against the wall he had been shoved into. Not a good sign.

Marik's appearance slowly went back to how it normally looked and he strolled out of the room casually. It was as if nothing happened at all between them. The only difference in Marik's mind between a normal encounter was that he dragged blood-streaked hands against the lightly-colored bathroom walls as he exited.

Yugi twitched violently and looked down to see where he was through his now clouded vision. He had somehow made it back to the bathroom, and he did NOT like the look of the wall he had been against. Crimson poured out from both of his small wrists. Yugi hardly even noticed. His thoughts were elsewhere… He had just caused the apocalypse. Bakura plus Marik… Everyone was going to die. No one would be spared.

He stood up slowly, rubbing his arms against his already stained shirt. The scariest thing about this experience was… Marik's smile. The entire time, he had a twisted grin on his face. He looked so overjoyed to be causing someone such terror. No, that wasn't Marik… Marik was awful, yes, but not like that. He did stupid pranks and occasionally picked fights with people, but that was about it. It was only Marik's other half that harmed people. He was the cause of so many horrid things… It was common gossip among his friends that Marik's yami had gotten him in jail more times than one could count on a single hand. Of course, no police officer believed a kid saying that his "other half robbed the bank". His usual response was to be locked up in a mental hospital and tested for schizophrenia for a few days, worrying his sister and caregiver, Ishizu, sick. The results would come back saying he was just barely sane, and he'd be let off with a warning. Marik's yami was the cause of this and many other rising disasters. The self-named demon was Mariku.

"I have to stop this! I alone hold the power and knowledge to end this before it truly begins!" He paused, finally noticing his wrists. "Well, after I'm cleaned up. I have to find a way to bandage this before anyone notices and questions me… The last thing I need is a panicked crowd. Thank Ra this bathroom is empty. I knew I should have brought my phone with me today! I can only warn my friends in person now…" He sighed deeply and attempted to calm himself down from the events that had just occurred.

Ten minutes later, he began wrapping toilet paper multiple times around his petite wrists, keeping it together with a piece of gum he found in the trash. Sometimes you just need to improvise. After he cleaned the wall he had been nearly killed upon, he took his jacket and buttoned it up all the way. There was hardly any blood on it, so hopefully, no one would notice. Still, he scrubbed at the stains with soap and warm water to get rid of the majority of the evidence. His jacket was just a tad big for him, making it perfect for hiding his destroyed wrists. Were they broken? He couldn't feel them but–

/Y-yugi? What happened to you?/ Yami materialized next to Yugi looking utterly confused and concerned. It was likely that he 'accidently' tuned out the entire mess so he wouldn't have to get involved. He did that a lot.

"Well, if you must know, I ran into Mariku, he almost killed me, and now he's heading towards Bakura." Yugi was in no mood to handle the situation gently. He had a job to do.

/Holy Ra…/

"I know. I'm going to find Joey to warn him. Maybe he can help me fight him… He's probably hunger-crazed by now. We can use that to our advantage. I just hope Ryou is alive…"

/Does this mean no more carnival games? You hardly played any! And I wanted to go in the bounce house!/

"You're kidding, right? This is major! THE WORLD COULD FRIGGING END! And all you can think about is the damned CARNIVAL?" Yugi screamed at the top of his lungs. He quickly clasped a hand over his mouth, praying to Ra that no one heard him.

Yami blinked in silence for a moment before muttering a single phrase.

/…Anger issues…/

"Yami, you're impossible. No, you're beyond impossible! You… I don't want to deal with you anymore! I'm sick of you! I can't take it! You are the most USELESS person I've ever had the displeasure of knowing! You didn't help me AT ALL while Mariku was MAIMING me! Even Bakura would have helped Ryou in that situation I'm sure! You are a–"

/Actually, Bakura would probably take over Ryou's body to hang out with Mariku and cause chaos. Or he might just start laughing./

Yugi violently twitched, but for different reasons than before. His hands were clenched so firmly that they lost feeling along with his already injured wrists. He barely managed to spit out the next sentence. "I want you out of my life from now on."

Yami resembled a kicked puppy. /W-what?/

Yugi's voice was calmer than Yami had ever heard it before. Even calmer than when Yami tore his dark magician card in half by mistake. Quieter than when he took over Yugi's body to bet–and lose–a gambling game against Bakura leading Yugi to be forced to wear a tutu at school the following day. Softer than when Yami almost killed his grandfather by making him overdose on his medication as a joke on April Fool's Day. It was petrifying.

"Get out of my life. All you cause is a headache. Just stay in your soul room 'til the end of time." Yugi was emotionless at this point, his face as hard as stone.

Yami meanwhile was sobbing, gigantic tears running down his face. He didn't bother to hide them. His hikari was serious. He had finally pushed him to his limit.

"I have an important task to complete, and I can't have you interrupting me or ruining my plans. Plus, you'd probably run away and hide like the coward you are. While I took constant beatings from multiple bullies at school, you'd hide in your little soul room until it was over before even bothering to help me. Even then, you'd only do it for your own sick and twisted amusement! I've had it with you!" Yugi's quiet voice dropped dead towards the end of his loud rant.

Yami didn't bother to speak, to change Yugi's mind. It was made up. Yugi only saw him as a nuisance and a jerk. With tears still coursing down his face, he allowed his ghostly form to fade signaling that he had predictably retreated to his soul room.

Yugi turned his back on the now weakened image of Yami. Try as he did, he could feel a single wet droplet fall from his left eye and onto the cold tile floor. The air had grown bitter, and Yugi wiped at his running nose fiercely.

"I-it's for the best…" But he didn't believe that for even a moment. Not that it mattered. He had to put others lives in front of his own desires.

Those thoughts didn't soften the pain.

His day was spinning out of control, from demonic pies–which looked like nothing compared to what had just happened to him–to being a personal food slave to almost being murdered to snapping at his own yami. It was too much to handle. He lifted his arm to check the time only to see his that watch was cracked and broken, making it impossible to check the time. The smiley face picture within the watch had become blood-smeared. Was it an omen? More importantly, was it a good or a bad sign? He shook his head fiercely, not wanting to discourage himself before anything even happened.

"It's time to move out. Mariku may have gotten a head start, but I'll find a way to beat him! Oh please let luck be on my side today…" Yes, he'd remain focused throughout his mission!

Nothing would cloud his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Ryou convulsed in his unconscious state. He was an absolute mess: blood coated his clothes and body like an extra layer of skin. Scratch that, what remained of his garments. They had been ripped, torn, and shredded to the point where they were just barely coving his legs and completely exposing his chest. The razor-sharp bush he had fallen into was merciless. Even his soft pale features looked like they had had a nasty encounter with a pair of scissors. His Millennium Ring was a few inches away from his outstretched hand, a hand that had attempted and failed to save its owner. It truly looked like Ryou was dying.<p>

Gradually, the Millennium Ring began to glow. It started dim, but grew brighter and brighter with each passing second. A dazzling yet ominous violet glow shot up into the sky and heavens above. It was such an intense luminosity that anyone within a few miles radius who happened to look in said direction went blind. It was too bad for one blond-haired 'starving' nutcase's vision.

The flash was a signal made by the one residing within it. It was more obvious than any billboard or beacon could ever hope to be.

It meant that Bakura knew what was coming and he ready for it to begin.


	5. Chapter 5

Hikari: *Dazed*

Yamie: Um... Hi everyone. Hikari here is in a state of shock, so I'll be the one talking I suppose.

Hikari: *giggle* I won an award...

Yamie: She recently won a writing award, so she's still in a state of shock and giddiness. Hooray. Anyway, I hope on behalf of both of us that you enjoy this chapter. She worked hard on it.

Hikari: *Still dazed*

Yamie: Fine, I'll do the disclaimer. Hikari doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh! I wish she did, but she's not lucky enough.

* * *

><p>Yugi was in full commando mode now. He envisioned himself in a green camouflage getup, large, stocky black combat boots, and a nifty protective helmet with his blond bangs flowing out in the imaginary breeze. His make-believe rifle was loaded with only a single bullet: he only needed one to get the job done. His belt contained a small bag that could magically fit a few grenades as a precautionary. He darted from wall to wall with ninja-like speed and reflexes. No demons named Mariku were going to sneak up on him anytime soon. Nor were they going to beat him in the race to save or destroy humanity.<p>

"Da na naaaa! Da da da da da da na na naaaa!" Yugi's theme music played throughout his movie in a dramatic fashion. He then struck a valiant pose towards the camera, his right arm punched upwards and face contorted with confidence.

"I shall emerge victorious!"

By this time, multiple pedestrians were staring at the "mentally screwed up nutcase who enjoyed singing and speaking to himself". One rather familiar little boy wearing red overalls tugged on his mother's knee-length skirt.

"Mama, that's the boy whose friend almost killed me."

"That's nice honey." His mother was obviously bored to tears with the carnival and therefore decided to give her son a generic response for all the nonsense he uttered.

"But Mama, all I did was gaze at a brownie!" He paused for a dramatic moment as if deciding whether or not he should say the next few words. "She's stupid!"

"Sweetie pie, you know that I don't tolerate that word. Now then, do you want some cotton candy?" She'd do anything to stop his incoherent yapping.

The boy immediately lost interest in Yugi's friend and moved on to more pressing matters.

"I want the blue kind!"

Yugi meanwhile continued his trek towards the oak tree wishing that this were actually his movie. In movies, the good guy always emerged triumphant. Here? It was unclear… What if he did fail? It wasn't just his life that would be endangered. It was his friends too! Sure, his friends were selfish–more like extremely selfish–but they were still his pals. Would they help him if the situation were reversed? Yugi tried not to think of the answer.

He continued out the main exit of the school and began walking in a semi-circle in order to arrive at his destination. He had obviously thought about running towards the enormous tree, but he was slow and had little endurance. Plus he needed to save what little strength he had in case he needed to fight one–or both–of the threatening monsters that possibly awaited him. In situations like these, Yami would usually take possession of their shared body to do the running and combat for him. He was a lot more physically fit that Yugi.

Yugi swiftly shook his head and murmured, "This isn't about me or Yami! This is about mankind and nothing more."

Shoving the very thought of him out of his mind, Yugi turned left and trudged through the school's prized flower beds. There was no other short cut, and he figured he could help replant them after he saved the world. On a grand scheme of things, the entire planet was a little more important than a field of sunshine yellow tulips.

"That's it Yugi… Stay positive!" The oak tree was slowly coming into view, but there was something peculiar about the area that made Yugi stop dead in his tracks.

"Where did all this purple fog and light come from? Also, where are Joey and Ryou? What's going on here?" He then made the fatal mistake of looking directly into the source of the luminosity.

"My eyes! My eyes! They BURN!"

* * *

><p>About fifteen minutes before Yugi arrived at the hill, Marik was searching for a fellow student to interrogate. Truth be told, he had no clue where this oak tree was and decided that asking a random person in the hallway would be the best policy.<p>

The one thing that concerned him was surprisingly not his search for Bakura. He remembered seeing Yugi, terrorizing him a little, then nothing more. It was as if someone logged onto his memory and pressed the delete history button multiple times until there was nothing left but what was currently happening. The next thing he knew, he was outside the bathroom and somehow knew that he had to get to an oak tree to find his partner in crime. How he figured it out, he had no clue. It definitely contained violence though. His hands had been covered in a thick crimson substance that he recognized from past experiences as blood. Sure, he had been thoroughly scared to death, but he was used to that. With Mariku as a yami, you never knew what to expect. Not that he had ever met him or spoken with him or even seen his face for that matter. He pretty much got his information from Bakura.

Supposedly, Yugi could communicate with his yami, but to Marik, it seemed like a lie. It would be very easy to stage; having a blank stare at randomized intervals, talking to yourself repeatedly, complaining about it to friends, et cetera. Why anyone would fake such a thing seemed inconceivable to Marik, but maybe Yugi was attention-starved. For some unknown reason, Marik never really liked Yugi or any of his friends for that matter.

Marik snapped back into reality just in time to see an adorable little boy with red overalls take a gigantic bite out of sky-colored cotton candy. Marik grinned sadistically and rubbed his hands together in a scheming fashion.

"Sugar, I told you not to eat so quickly. You only get one, and when you're done eating, we're leaving." By now, the boy's mom was tired, overworked, and regretting that fated night when she skipped her birth control pill.

Marik waltzed over to the suicidal mother and child and smiled in the sweetest possible way he could muster. "Excuse me, but I appear to be lost in this crazy maze of a school. Can you please point me in the correct direction?"

The child looked up with his dirtied face and grinned with child-like innocence. "Hello new best friend! Where are you going?"

"I'm heading over towards the large oak tree. I heard it's–"

"It's straight out that door best buddy!" The overall-clad boy pointed a grimy finger towards the exit just ahead.

Marik beamed at how close he was to his actual best friend. He hadn't seen Bakura in what felt like years!

The mother, reminding herself to be polite, finally broke into the conversation. "Oh, it was his pleasure! You're just such a beautiful young lady after all! You know, I looked a bit like you when I was–"

She never finished that sentence. In a split second, she was transported directly to the Shadow Realm courtesy of Marik's Millennium Rod.

"…Mama?"

To avoid watching a little kid cry, something that Marik never had any patience for, the little boy was reunited with his mother in the depths of the Shadow Realm.

"Like I said, thanks for the help." He then proceeded to stroll casually out the door and, sure enough, was face to face with the enormous oak tree. However, he was met with a rather peculiar sight. First off, Bakura was nowhere to be found. His hikari was though, and he was practically naked not to mention severely injured with what looked like claw marks. His unclothed body was partially hidden by a massive rose bush. Second, Yugi was there and screaming his starfish-shaped head off as he gripped his eyelids in sheer agony.

"FOR THE LOVE OF RA, MY EYES!"

This definitely caused some confusion on Marik's part. His dirty mind was imagining that a twisted sex story had just occurred between the two boys. Based on the quick glance he gave the scene before him, it was quite plausible. He stood perfectly still with his mouth open, eyes widened, and words caught within his throat. As if the sight before him wasn't strange and scarring enough, someone burst out from the bushes to put a new spin on everything.

"You have angered the monkey spirits by trespassing upon their land! Nyeh, they shall not rain down food if you do not move at once! Nyeh! I'll kill you all in the name of the monkey gods! NYEH! All hail King Gorilla! Hail! Hail!"

This nut job was wearing a loin cloth and nothing more. He had mud tracks along his back and neck in a bizarre spiral pattern. His forearms were completely torn apart by what looked like the sharpened stick he held in his right hand. Blood dripped from the more fresh wounds and onto his bare feet and exposed legs. His face was untouched compared to his other appendages, but the hunger-crazed gleam in his puffy red eyes made that a difficult factor to notice. His blond hair hung loosely around his upper back and appeared damp with sweat. He was currently screeching like a chimpanzee whose banana was stolen.

Marik had to leap out of the way quickly in order to avoid the incoming branch that the lunatic had launched at him. He sprinted as swiftly as he could in his state of shock towards an unconscious Ryou. When he made it in time, he ducked underneath the thorn bush to avoid another branch being tossed at him.

"I WILL KILL YOU ALL IN THE NAME OF FOOD!"

It was official. Joey had gone from hungry to starving to insanity in the span of Yugi's absence. Of course, neither Marik nor the currently lifeless Ryou realized this.

Marik's bleach blond hair was caught in the spiky bush from his lack of circumspection. He yanked on it in a panic and let out a yelp when his tugging only served to get it more tangled. Joey spotted Marik's struggle and let out another screech as he pursued his target. Razor-sharp stick in hand, he lifted his right arm in preparation to deal a deathly blow to the heart. He was a mere foot step away when his plan was shattered.

"What in the name of Ra do you think you're doing you bastard?" A calm voice laced with menace split the two piercing screams. Bakura, recently awoken by a couple of high pitched voices, was giving Joey the most intimidating death glare known to man. Even in Joey's state of hunger-crazed madness, he realized the obvious. He, along with everyone else, was in major trouble. An infuriated Bakura plus a ready to change into his yami any minute Marik meant that everyone was going to die. The worst possible scenario was playing right before his eyes. Too bad Yugi couldn't actually see what was going on since he was still screaming off in a corner about his seemingly imminent blindness. Joey stood glued to the spot, striking arm stiffened in fear above Marik's head in a vain attempt to appear innocent to the enraged white-haired boy. He bit his lip awkwardly.

"King Gorilla shall not be pleased about this…"

* * *

><p>Yamie: It appears that Hikari's chapters keep getting shorter and shorter. The next chapter will hopefully be longer! Now then, onto important matters. Good? Bad? Questions? Comments?<p>

Hikari: *Waking from shocked state* If so, REVIEW! Reviewers make me smile. :)

~midknightXXX


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